Islamic School Building Collapses In Indonesia; 65 Students Presumed Buried, 1 Dead

An under-construction Islamic school building collapsed in Indonesia, burying at least 65 students.

Preliminary reports indicate that the building’s expansion was being carried out without proper authorisation. (Image for representation)

Source : Pixabay

At least 65 students were presumed buried after an under-construction Islamic school building collapsed on Monday in Indonesia. One male student has died and 99 others were injured—some critically—after the building collapse, officials confirmed. The incident occurred at Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo, East Java, while dozens of students were praying inside. 

Further, reports suggest that the death toll might increase. The rescue operations continued for hours, and almost eight hours after the collapse, police and rescue workers managed to pull eight survivors from the debris. The trapped students were provided with oxygen and water by the rescuers during the operation.

Indonesia Islamic School Building Collapse

According to the preliminary reports, the building’s expansion was being carried out without proper authorisation, raising questions about construction safety and oversight.

The lower floors were mainly used as prayer halls. Survivors said most of the injured were male students, as female students had been praying in a separate section and managed to escape unharmed. Teachers, administrators, and local residents rushed to aid the wounded, many of whom suffered head injuries and fractures.

Authorities have opened an investigation into the incident. Television footage showed frantic overnight rescue operations, with police, soldiers, and emergency teams using heavy machinery to clear steel-reinforced concrete rubble in search of survivors, as per a report on Associated Press.

Families gathered at hospitals and near the site, anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones. Heartbreaking scenes unfolded as relatives watched rescuers pull injured students from the debris, dust-covered and shaken.

Hundreds of rescue workers, using self-contained breathing apparatuses and specialized equipment for extrication and medical evacuation, are tirelessly combing through the rubble of the collapsed building. Their efforts are focused on two critical objectives: recovering the deceased and, wherever possible, locating and saving survivors trapped beneath the debris.